


Tough Lover

by anri



Series: YouTuber au [4]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: M/M, Photographer AU, Youtuber AU, cosplayer au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-30
Updated: 2016-05-19
Packaged: 2018-05-30 05:00:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,942
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6409855
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anri/pseuds/anri
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yaku Morisuke is a well accomplished costumer and avid cosplayer, along with his friends Akaashi and Kenma.<br/>And yet, his life is lacking.<br/>Specifically in the half-Russian photographer department.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Is the title a Burlesque reference? [ You know it is ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4nWAZU9mu8) Will the references ever stop? Pssssh.  
> I wanna say a few things about this chapter. 1) Kenma's outfit, I'm so sorry, what I mean by "sexy Batgirl" is there's a part in the comics where there is a sexier outfit for Batgirl on display. I didn't realise it's impossible to find on the internet! All you need to know is that it's a tight latexy/spandex crop top with the yellow bat symbol on it, and tight high waisted shorts and black thigh highs + the regular cowl. 2) I am a cosplayer myself and let me tell you. Cosplay is...jesus christ. It's such an effort, its so much work and stress and then you get to the convention and you're like "I'm fREE" I've only cosplayed Haikyuu once before, but I felt so awful about not cosplaying it to my main convention this year that I changed my plans to include a secret Haikyuu-related costume which I'm super duper excited for. But yes....costumes break so much and makeup is so hard and eyelashes are the bane of my existence. I actually wanna cosplay everyone these guys are doing at their cons. ;_; Their entire cosplay list for the series is the girlies in this chapter + Panne, Tharja, Olivia from Fire Emblem Awakening and Ahri, Nidalee and Jinx from League of Legends. Also another boy joins the cosplay squad later on, any guesses as to who???

Yaku picked up the camera, turning it on. He breathed in heavily, pressing his hand to his forehead. He whined quietly, before opening his eyes to look at the camera, "Okay," he said, "I have so much makeup on right now I'm not even sure if I can accurately portray the horror I feel, but we're gunna try." He panned the camera down. He was in complete costume now - as Wonder Woman. "I am literally glued into my bodice right now. I just spent an hour realistically painting Akaashi's ass green, and Kenma is _still_ doing his makeup. We were supposed to be at our photo shoot like, ten minutes ago, and Kenma's eyelashes are not even on yet," Yaku sighed again. This wasn't his first time he'd been dressed as a woman for cosplay, somehow this had become their cosplay style, over all the years. But this was his first time with latex boobs, and he wasn't sure if he was okay with them. He had a realistic looking cleavage, it was really disturbing. And not to mention he was wearing _hot pants_ \- why on earth did he think this was a good idea? He should have just gone with Super Girl.

Akaashi cleared his throat, shaking his head. Yaku panned the camera round to focus on him. "Honestly I have been to professional photo shoots and I have never had makeup take as long as Kenma does, like ever."

"Shut up Akaashi, they actually have a decent base when starting with you. I'm gluing my eyelashes now, so quiet, please. I need to concentrate." Yaku glared at the camera, sighing again, pressing one hand to his new bust self-consciously. Akaashi was stood in the corner, tall and statuesque as She Hulk. He looked perfect. He always did, damn him. And Kenma was sat there, his lips full, eyes glittery and heavily lidded as sexy batgirl. Kenma had never been one to actually come off as sexy in a costume before, and it had taken a lot of effort to make him look hot instead of just cute.

"Where are Bokuto and Kuroo, anyway?"

"I don't know. Bo needed to set his table up, maybe he got lost. You know how he does that," Akaashi crossed his arms over his chest.

"Akaashi, if you get body paint on your suit I'm not cleaning it off."

"My eyelashes are on I think we're okay to go find them now," Kenma said, fanning his hands over his eyes quickly, trying to air dry the glue.

Yaku grabbed his bag, "Okay, we're gunna get on our way, check in with you guys later!" he said, waving at the camera, before switching it off. "Please check you have everything you need - stuff to touch up your makeup, stuff like that, please. I don't wanna have to come back here."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever mum," Kenma murmured, throwing everything into his bag. He went to tuck his hands into his pockets, only to realise his shorts didn't have any. He sighed, squeezing his hands uncomfortably at his side. They exited the room, Yaku at the front, directing them, hearing the quiet chatter behind him. "Half of your face is covered by your cowl, Kozume - how do you even manage to take so long."

"Fuck off, Akaashi."

 

Bokuto and Kuroo were waiting just outside the dealers room. It felt weird, being so dressed up next to two  guys dressed completely normally. And it also felt weird because Yaku was wearing heels, and he wasn't used to being that tall next to them. Both boys' jaws dropped when they saw their partners. It had been the first time either of them had seen the fully completed costumes, and it was probably really surprising to wake up next to a man in the morning, only to come back to find a sexy superhero later on. "Jesus Christ," Kuroo breathed, and Kenma wiggled uncomfortably. Kuroo pulled his arms around him, hugging him close to his body. Fuck married couples. Yaku looked away, his cascade of thick black hair falling over his shoulder, only to be met by the sight of Bokuto and Akaashi.

"Do I look okay?"

" _Okay_? Of course you look okay, Akaashi! Can I...can I hug you? Or would that like, mess up the paint?"

"I think the paint's sealed, it's okay."

They held each other tightly, Bokuto gripping Akaashi's hips. "You're all green! It's so cool! How did you manage this?"

"Yaku and Kozume airbrushed me, it took a long time. Is your table set up?"

"Yeah! I left it with one of the other artists for now, but I got the prints I did, and I also have some issue one of our comic book! I hope they do okay. But I mean! You made the story so it's probably going to sell out super fast!"

"If anything, your art's going to make it sell."

Yaku resisted the urge to retch, looking forward, watching other convention attendees pass them by. He wondered if any of them suspected that this group was entirely male. They didn't _look_ it, for sure. Yaku had been into anime for a long time, was taught to sew as soon as he could, and combing both of them to recreate the characters he'd loved and adored for so long seemed like a dream. And yet, if he could go back and tell twelve year old Morisuke he was going to be dressed as Wonder Woman between two disgusting couples, he'd probably have withdrawn from the hobby, and just focussed on his designing.

"Where's our photographer?" he asked. Kuroo and Bokuto looked at each other.

"He might have...gotten pissed at you guys for taking so long....and he may have left."

All three cosplayers turned and stared at each other in horror. "We don't have a photographer?" Akaashi asked. Bokuto nodded slowly, wincing.

"You don't have a photographer."

"Get out your phone, we're taking pictures anyway."

"But Akaashi, we have other shoots anyway,"

"You did not spend hours painting me for me to wait around getting slowly de-greening, waiting for another photographer. We will take pictures now. I want at least evidence that we looked this good."

"I gotta go back to my table," Bokuto mumbled meekly, and Akaashi turned around to face him, kissing him goodbye, leaving a smudge of dark green on Bokuto's lips as he ran back into the room to get to his table.

Everyone else followed Akaashi through the convention, stopping when asked for photos, until they made it outside. Kuroo was holding Kenma's hand tightly. Kenma didn't exactly enjoy crowded spaces. Overall, he loved conventions, but it was just a little bit stressful. As they walked, Yaku pulled out his camera, explaining the situation to his viewers as they walked.

Akaashi was a funny sort of cosplayer. Because of his background in modelling, he was totally sure of himself. He had confidence, and as he walked through the hall, he began strutting out of habit alone. He drew a lot of attention to them. And then when they did stop to take pictures, and Kuroo had his phone out, Akaashi's ability to just stop, drop, and start posing soon meant that there was an entire wall of photographers taking pictures of the three piece group. Kenma sighed, flicking his cape back again, repositioning his cowl and posing aside Akaashi. They took individual shots, Kenma handing out their cosplay details on little cards, hoping to get the images back. That was one of the things about cosplay Yaku really loved. He worked hard on the costumes. He'd made all of their outfits. Costume was something that had always been in his life - it was his job. He lived to design clothes and gowns and costumes. Seeing so many people enjoying the work he'd done made it feel worth it. Yes, he got unbelievably stressed because of Kenma's ability to take _years_ over eyeliner alone, and Akaashi's ability to somehow break every single costume he had, but arriving at the convention, seeing people ask for their photos, telling him how incredible the costumes were, that was pretty cool.

They stopped for a break, the wall of photographers finally falling and shifting away. Akaashi sipped his water, texting Bokuto, retouching his lipstick. Kuroo and Kenma were leaning up against each other, holding their hands together tightly, Kuroo rocking Kenma slowly as he held him. Yaku had known them for a long time, and he'd always envied their closeness. There was a naturalness to their love, something incredibly easy about it all. And Akaashi and Bokuto as well. Yaku had never had that. He found relationships hard. Something that was to be worked at, but no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't good enough. There was always something wrong. He was too pushy, too defensive, too smothering, too uncaring. He wasn't ever going to be good enough. That was just how it was. At some point, he had just given up.

"I think somebody just grabbed my tit as they went past," Akaashi murmured, glaring at a group of men as they passed, laughing to themselves. "Laugh all you want, but these boobs are fake. I have a penis!" The men promptly stopped laughing, in favour of getting away from Akaashi as quickly as they could. As well as many other innocent con-goers who had overheard him yelling. That was something else about having Akaashi in your group: he had practically no shame. What was Yaku expecting from a man who got paid to lie around in underwear? Yaku got his camera out again, talking more about their convention experience, how he hoped everyone else at the convention was having a fun time, but he couldn't think of much to say. He kept seeing Kuroo and Kenma cuddling in the corner of his eye.

"I swear they're not usually this bad with PDA," Yaku murmured.

"Yeah they're really not. I think Kenma's been feeling bad recently, though. Maybe it's about that."

Yaku made an agreeing noise, and picked up his bag, readying himself to detach the icky couple and to move on to somewhere else. "Hey, um, are you guys busy?" the voice came from behind Yaku and scared him for a moment, he jumped backwards, nearly tripping over his heels, clutching his hand to his chest. "Oh heck, sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." The voice came from way, way above Yaku, even with his three inch heels on. He heard Kuroo suck in a breath. The man was so tall, looking down on them. He stood apart from everybody else in the crowd, even in his normal clothing. He had a camera slung around his neck, and a backpack over one shoulder. "Your costumes are really cool," he added as he brushed some silver hair out of his face, smiling at them. His smile was bright and beautiful - possibly one of the most beautiful smiles Yaku had ever seen. It was one of those smiles that made you want to smile, too. "Ah, thank you," Yaku breathed, flicking his wig back over his shoulder, pulling down the bottom half of his costume. The guy's eyes snapped open, and he cocked his head, staring hard at Yaku, and then Akaashi, and then Kenma. "Wait...are you guys? I-I mean, of course not that you have to be a guy to have a deep voice, that's not what I think at all, I just thought, that maybe, possibly-" the man was stammering, and Yaku shook his head, smiling.

"We're men, it's okay."

"Oh wow, those costumes seem so much cooler now, you all look really convincing!"

"Thanks,"

"Is it okay if I take pictures of you guys quickly? If you're busy it's okay."

"We're really not busy," Akaashi murmured, "We got dropped by our photographer, so we're free until like three O'clock." The man's eyes perked up, and he smiled.

"Ah then...if it's okay, could I take that slot then?"

Yaku nodded slowly, "Sure, be our guest."

"Great! Do you wanna find somewhere to shoot then, I mean, it's a little bit crowded in here, so, it's a bit  difficult. I'm Lev, by the way."

"Yaku." He honestly didn't even register the boy's name properly, didn't register taking his card as he pulled his bag onto his shoulder and followed him. The man's name was hard to pronounce and he wasn't even sure if he _could_ pronounce him, and yet, despite that, he wanted to follow him.

                                                          

Lev turned out to be a great photographer. A really excellent one. The shots he showed them on his camera were all tiny previews, all unedited, but they looked great. Far better than anything that could have been achieved on Kuroo's phone. He was easy to get along with, too. He kept the conversation flowing, got Kuroo busy with helping him with reflector boards and cape tossing. The only quiet was when he was really concentrating on a shot, and even then it was a comfortable silence. Yaku was enthralled, watching him as he zoomed the lens in, focussing, completely honed in on his work. He was funny, too, and he even managed to get Kenma laughing at his jokes sometimes - and Kenma was very hard to make laugh. Yaku vlogged in the corner, explaining the situation, how they'd found Lev, and he videoed him whilst he worked. He didn't know why, but he just wanted to watch him. "Hey, hey, what's this?" he asked, looking up from his preview of Kenma, looking straight into Morisuke's camcorder.

"Ah - I...this is my convention vlog, for Friday," he explained, and Lev smiled,

"Oh, you do that, do you? That's cool!" he waved at the camera, "Hi everyone! It's Lev!" he smiled again to himself, before crouching down on the floor, back to ordering Kuroo how to throw Kenma's cape properly to create the right effect.

He looked down at his watch suddenly, frowning. "Oh shoot, I have another cosplayer I'm scheduled to meet in like ten minutes," he said, putting the cap back on his lens, picking the reflector board up, folding it back into its bag. "You guys are here tomorrow too, right? What costumes are you doing then?"

"Raven and Starfire from Teen Titans, and Artemis from Young Justice," Kuroo said.

"Oh sweet, is there any time you're free tomorrow, so I can shoot you again?"

Akaashi was already out and checking his timetable on his phone, reading out the times they were free. "Well...evening's probably better. I could take your phone number, call or text whenever you wanna meet up?" he offered, looking at Yaku. The two of them ended up exchanging information before Lev waved goodbye, running back towards the crowd. Even then, his mop of silver hair could be seen above all the colourful wigs. Yaku's camcorder came on again, and he started talking about the amazing photo shoot they'd just suddenly had with Lev, showing his card, advertising him. Kuroo smiled, taking his camera off him, holding it out of his reach as he spoke. "Yaku's too dense to say anything about this, but this photo shoot they just had was really just an hour of this photographer and Yakkun shamelessly flirting with each other! Yaku has game, he's picking guys up at this convention, whether he's aware of it or not!"

"Kuroo give me the camera back before I kick you, I swear to God."

 

There was nothing like the relief of pulling off the latex boobs after a long day, getting to take off the wig and the makeup, and finally being back in actual clothing. And yet, there was also something incredibly lonely about coming back to his single hotel room. Bokuto and Akaashi had a room together, and so did Kuroo and Kenma. And Yaku was on his own. It was more logistical, really - and more comfortable than sharing a room with a couple, but still. He was lonely. He lay on his bed in his pyjamas, watching through the day's footage, looking back at Lev hard at work. And somehow that just made it worse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It sucks a lot. I'm sorry.   
> I'm working on my own cosplays right now, and my Hibike Euph work is just 120% unpicking b/c somehow I've managed to sew things the wrong way round FOUR TIMES.  
> Also, in terms of kagehina for this fic? it's going to be a little bit sad, but on the balance of less sad and brief, or more sad and more in depth, what would people prefer? Thanks!

Yaku sighed, staring at the camera again, "Not much has changed since Friday, to be honest. I still had to spend ages painting Akaashi - but _grey_ this time. I had to paint myself as well, so it took longer, and yet, here we are. _Still_ waiting for Kenma to finish his makeup." Yaku pinched the bridge of his nose. Kenma rolled his eyes as he retouched his eyeliner, shrugging off the comments. "Honestly he's cosplaying with a cowl again today, why do you even _need_ to contour your face - you can't see it."

"Oh I'm sorry Yaku, did you want an inaccurate Artemis?"

"No, we just have places to _be_ now,"

"I think we need to stop organising things in the first half of the convention, because Kozume is _never_ ready," Akaashi murmured.

"Hey now, it's not Kenma's problem that he doesn't deal with makeup very often," Kuroo said, sitting across from him. Akaashi rolled his eyes, "You have to say that. You're his husband."

"So?" Kuroo muttered, passing Kenma his cowl.

"Can we go now, is he done? Is he _finally_ done?" Akaashi asked, grabbing his back. "Can we leave now? I want to check on Bokuto's table, making sure he's not selling things for some stupidly low price."

"We have another photo shoot to get to first, Akaashi, remember," Yaku told him, leading the way.

 

Kenma started getting ill towards the afternoon. He had a lot of abdominal pain, and after their third trip to the bathroom, everyone was getting concerned. They waited outside, sat on the floor. There were some unnerved glances from other men as they saw two girls sat outside the men's room. "Wait until they see Kenma inside," Yaku murmured, smirking to himself, although he didn't feel like smiling. Kuroo pulled the door open - his jacket was off and Kenma was wearing it, holding it close to his body. He had his cowl off, and his makeup was slightly smudged. "I'm gunna take Kenma back to the room, call his doctor and stuff," he said quietly. Akaashi and Yaku nodded silently, muttering quiet encouragements to Kenma as he was led away, holding Kuroo's hand tightly. "Man, that sucks," Akaashi sighed. "How long until that tall guy gets here?"

"He said probably a few minutes."

"Ugh, can we just walk around? I don't wanna stay by the men's toilets, it smells like urine," he muttered. Yaku and Akaashi weren't the closest. Kenma was the middle ground, the commonality they had. So the two of them on their own created a silence. Yaku found that he couldn't wait for Lev to arrive.

And he finally did, rushing through the crowds to meet them. "Sorry, sorry, I got caught up trying to fix this cosplayer's tiara, I don't know if she was able to fix it but, I tried my hardest so - where's the other one...the...Batgirl from yesterday?"

"Kenma. He um, he's not very well right now."

Lev looked down at his camera, pouting. He looked genuinely disappointed. Well, why wouldn't he be? Kenma was photogenic - despite all his complaining - he _was_ very photogenic, and very beautiful. Not in the same way as Akaashi was, but he had a softer, warmer beauty. Of course Lev missed him. "Well, there's still the both of you. Even if we don't have an extra set of hands, this can work!" he said, fiddling with his lenses, leading the two away. Akaashi was quiet as always, apparently he was always quiet in photo shoots, and Yaku had never really noticed it before - he always had Kenma and Kuroo talking in the background, but now it was just him and Lev up keeping the conversation.

He learned more about Lev - he was the youngest in his family, and grew up moving from country to country for his father's work - originally from Saint Petersburg, before moving to Seoul, Birmingham, Los Angeles, and settling finally in Japan. He stayed on in Tokyo for university, and he didn't particularly mind being in Japan - he seemed somewhat indifferent to the country he was in. It changed so frequently he had no attachment to the place. Although it did give him an advantage in language - he said he knew five fluently, and he was learning more. He was studying photography, and had hopes, albeit self conscious hopes, of becoming a fashion photographer. Yaku listened to him talk, answering questions, but was happiest when he was listening to him speaking. It got later, and darker, and Akaashi checked his phone. "I'm probably gunna... go booth babe around Bokuto's table, see how that goes. You two have fun."

Yaku and Lev turned to look at each other,  and Lev smiled sheepishly. "Well...if this is how it's gunna be...wanna go get dinner or something?"

"Um, yeah, sure. Can I go get changed out of this first? I mean, I don't fancy being orange or in a crop top for dinner,"

"Sure, sure...I can, wait in my own room or something," Lev suggested, fiddling with his camera, and Yaku glared at him, grabbing his wrist. "Nah c'mon...this hotel is like a maze, it's gunna be difficult to find each other if we split up," he muttered.

So then he had a boy, with him. In his hotel room. Alone. Which probably would have been one of the sexiest things Yaku had experienced in his adult life, if his hotel room wasn't the actual incarnation of hell. His Wonder Woman costume - boobs and all, were shed across the floor of the room. There were makeup stains on the table, along with the huge array of his makeup strewn everywhere. His heat gun and hot glue gun were lying in a corner of the room, and there was a huge rack of clothing in another corner.

"I always wanted to know what cosplayer's hotel rooms looked like..." Lev mumbled, "I heard they were a bombsite but well...wow,"

"Others probably clean up after themselves, but...well, I wasn't expecting anybody to come into my room so...sorry for the mess." He reached down to dig through his suitcase, trying to find his normal clothing. "I'm gunna...get out of costume and shower, I guess, so if you have any way to amuse yourself for the next, I don't know, half an hour? That would be cool."

Lev nodded, smiling as he sat down on the bed. He looked around the room, watching Yaku's shadow under the doorway. It was quiet. He looked through his camera, through the photographs he'd taken. There were over a thousand, easily. From cosplayers he'd officially shot, or just hallway shots of characters he liked. His eyes scanned over the pictures he'd just taken - of Yaku and his friend. The other man's face as Raven, well, he was striking. His face was angular, unusual - someone he could only have dreamed of photographing before. He knew his angles, his posing, and he looked stunning. Lev had always been drawn to people like that, but...now looking at the images, he found himself looking at Yaku. His hand gestures and body was awkwardly placed at times, and there were several frames where he looked weird, but Lev liked it. He liked his small yet strong frame, his big eyes and small thin lips. It was the same with yesterday's shoot as well. Lev had found himself staying up late in his hotel, on his laptop, eager to look back through Yaku's images as well. "Have you cosplayed a lot, then?"

"Yeah, yeah, I've been cosplaying for a long time," Yaku called out from the shower. "Um, kinda like, a couple years really. I've been sewing for a long time, so it wasn't really hard to get into. Just...makeup and stuff, I guess."

Lev nodded, thinking about lying back on the bed, but he figured that was too personal. He was in Yaku's room. The sheets were still mused from where he'd slept. "Have you always cosplayed as a girl?"

"Um, no. I think...well you get more attention dressed as a girl, plus girls outfits seem to have more sewing and embroidery stuff to do, which is what I like. I'm not...exclusively cross dressing, I guess. I just happen to like more feminine designs."

"What about your friend? Kenma?"

"Oh, I guess he just feels more confident in cosplay. Nobody knows who he is, so he's less embarrassed. It's the one time attention doesn't make him uncomfortable. Even though he's a YouTuber."

"He does that too?"

"Yeah, we all do, except for Akaashi. But Kuroo - Kenma's husband, with the bad hair, he does it as well, occasionally. And Akaashi's partner - Bokuto, you haven't met him, but he has worse hair - he does videos as well."

Lev smiled, running a hand through his hair. He looked at the clothing rack in the corner of the room. It was the neatest, most organised thing in the room. Dresses hung there, also shirts and shorts, all intricately covered in lace or embroidery. Most of the pieces were white or gold, and were absolutely stunning. "So...do you, um, have a partner as well? Like your friends?" Lev sighed, realising how desperate the question was. He heard the shower shut off.

"I don't have a boyfriend," Yaku answered, a little quieter. Lev breathed out with relief. "Haven't properly dated since high school."

"Seriously?"

He heard Yaku laugh, "Yeah, you think I'm lying?"

"I just don't understand why nobody would date you."

There was a silence, and Lev thought maybe he'd said the wrong thing. "That's very kind of you."

"Well, I mean most guys that I know prefer smaller guys because it-"

The bathroom door swung open, and steam escaped into the room. Light shone behind Yaku like a halo, and there he stood, the angry goblin, in boxers and a t-shirt. "Do you want to get hit?" he snapped.

Lev swallowed. This was the first time he'd seen Yaku _normally_. Without wigs, without lenses, without makeup. His eyes were brown, but not dark. More of an amber colour, and his hair was light and slightly reddish, cut short and cropped. His shirt was big on him, and his legs were small but firm - the lines of muscle clear on his legs. Lev was meant to say something - sorry or whatever - but he was staring, and by the time he realised he was staring, there had been too much of a silence. Yaku sighed, shutting the bathroom door, shimmying into his trousers. "We haven't even known each other for two days and I've already seen you in your underwear." _Why did he say that?_

Lev was smart. Somewhat. Academically. And yet, his social skills were appalling. He didn't know why. He honestly didn't. He knew the way you have conversations properly, and yet..he had no filter. Absolutely no filter. Some things he would say, and less than a fraction of a second later, he would regret it immediately. And yet he did it anyway. He couldn't stop himself.

Yaku paused, as he was buckling up his belt. "You saw me in hot pants and a miniskirt, my underwear is honestly conservative compared to that."

Lev smirked, watching as he rolled up the bottom of his trousers, before standing up. "I honestly wasn't expecting you to be a man. I thought you were joking. I just um...how do you....the front of your skirt, I mean."

"I tuck and tape," Yaku said, turning to face him. Lev stared at him blankly.

"What does that mean?"

Yaku stared back.

"If you have to ask you're not ready for the answer."

Lev swallowed again. "Well...um...okay." Yaku bit his lip, looking down on the floor.

"We should probably find food now."

"Yes. That's probably something we should do."

 

They ended up in the hotel restaurant, sitting across from each other. "Seriously? You're a Gryffindor?" Lev asked, and Yaku raised an eyebrow, chewing his noodles.

"What did you expect me to be?"

"No, nothing! I just, it's surprising, you know."

"Well, what're you then?"

"Hufflepuff."

Yaku snorted, looking him up and down. "That makes sense."

Lev looked around - the hotel wasn't particularly busy, but he saw a couple of other people there, clearly from the convention. Colourful wigs still worn, gold armour and flowing dresses. "So the clothing rack in your room...I'm guessing they're not all costumes for this convention?"

Yaku smiled self consciously, looking down. "No, I um...I have some pieces that are taking a place in one of the fashion shows at the convention tomorrow. It's kind of small, so I only picked a few pieces, but it's cool."

Lev raised his eyebrows, "Wow, you did all that work? That's kind of amazing! That's super amazing! It all looked so intricate, how long did it take you?"

"Like a few months over the pieces that I've brought but-"

"Wow! Is it like, your job?"

"Yeah...I work on designs for theatre companies mostly."

"That's so cool..." Lev gushed again. "Can I come and see the show? What time is it tomorrow?"

"Um it's...seriously? You seriously want to come?"

Lev nodded earnestly. Yaku sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's in the afternoon, like at three. But I don't know when my segment is."

"I'll be there, for sure!"

 

Lev insisted on waking Morisuke back to his room, sticking close to his side. They reached the room before long, and turned to face each other, to say goodbye, but Yaku found himself not saying anything. He didn't do anything. He just watch Lev, his shoulders hunched as he leaned closer to Yaku, his eyes scanning his face earnestly. Yaku leaned closer to him, glancing at his lips. Lev brushed the back of his hand against Yaku's, and the smaller boy sighed happily, and Lev leaned in closer, and Yaku rested his hand on the side of his face, and Lev's eyes were intense and focussed on him, and Yaku sucked in a breath as he saw Lev's lips coming closer.

"Oh ho ho, what do we have here?"

Both of them pulled away, Lev's hands clenched at his sides. Kuroo was stood in the doorway to his room, leaning against the frame, smirking at the two of them. "I uh, should be getting going," Lev said, looking helplessly at Morisuke for a moment, before turning and fleeing down the corridor.

Kuroo and Yaku looked at each other. Yaku's face was flushed red, his chest heaving. "How's Kenma?" he asked.

"Oh, you know, as good as he can be in his position. He doesn't have to be hospitalised, which is a win, I guess," Kuroo blinked slowly. "So, how was your date?"

"It _wasn't_ a date."

"Oh, so you mean that you nearly kiss every friend you hang out with?"

"Shut _up_ , Kuroo."

"C'mon now, tell me all the gossip, what have you done with him?" he said, coming out into the corridor, closing the door a little more.

"Nothing." Yaku admitted quietly.

"What?"

"Nothing, okay? Nothing."

Kuroo raised one eyebrow, and stared at him. "Seriously? I regret interrupting you now. Now you have no interesting stories to tell me. Try harder next time okay?" he said, opening the door again. Yaku could see Kenma laying face down on the bed, a blanket covering him. Yaku smirked as Kuroo headed back into the room. "For sure."


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They were halfway through making out when Yaku pulled away. "I don't think I can do this," he said, running his hands down Lev's bare chest. Lev kissed at Morisuke's neck, hands holding his hips firmly. "Why?"
> 
> "Because your house is a fucking mess and I'm like 90% sure the guy across the wall can hear everything."
> 
> There was a moment of silence. And then a muffled voice.
> 
> "Thank God you said that, I was too awkward to say anything."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahahah Im back again and I forgot how to write in the month or so Ive been frantically studying for exams. Sorry abt that

Yaku dressed himself slowly on Sunday. Deliberately. He'd picked his outfit out beforehand, even before the convention itself. He had to present himself as the designer. He never really looked like somebody who would make the lacy, airy, feminine items that he did. He knew that. People always found it slightly surprising when he walked out at the end. He looked practical, normal - not a particularly creative person. Not somebody who had been sewing for as long as they could remember, certainly not like somebody who would make the things he did. He worked, usually, with theatres, designing costumes for productions, and to begin with, nobody had trusted his ideas. They'd learned, though. There was an awful lot more to him then met the eye.

There were rehearsals in the morning, and he sat there, watching everyone intently, making sure every one of his models was representing what he wanted. Akaashi was a regular in his line up - he was a great model who was close by, he was an easy choice. Plus, Akaashi knew what he wanted - knew what to expected. Why would he bother trying to train somebody else when Akaashi could regularly deliver exactly what he'd wanted?

"Everything going well, then?" Yaku nearly jumped out of his chair as Kuroo snuck up behind him, grinning.

"Jesus _Christ_ , what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be by Kenma's side? Protecting him like the angel you are?"

Kuroo shrugged, "Kenma wanted to nap, and I don't want to disturb him. He'll text if he needs anything. But it's not like he's gunna run off somewhere, you know him."

Yaku noticed the dark red rims of Kuroo's eyes that told him that he'd not slept, and had probably cried at some point during the morning, but he didn't say anything. If Kuroo needed to talk, he'd say something. Akaashi came striding ahead, and Kuroo whistled, taking a picture. "Bokuto will want to see this," he explained. Yaku didn't take his eyes off the stage, but he raised an eyebrow. "Is he coming to the show this afternoon?"

"Yeah, yeah. I'm helping him take the table down midday. He's done pretty well on selling his stuff. Ran out of the comic book he and Akaashi made."

"Does Akaashi know that?" Yaku breathed.

"No, not yet. Bokuto wants it to be a surprise."

"He's going to be ecstatic." Bokuto and Akaashi had poured all their energy and love into this story they'd created together. An online comic first, translated into English by Tsukishima to widen the audience, before they'd taken the leap to self-publish it. Akaashi had been hopeful but pessimistic. It had done remarkably well online, but he was still scared. Yaku smiled. He deserved this, he really did.

There was a clatter of chairs being knocked over, and both men turned around to see a mortified Lev looking at the mess he'd caused. "Sorry - I was trying to...um, get passed all of the chairs and I guess I must've caught them...?"

Kuroo stifled a laugh, and Yaku just sighed. "You want me to leave you two alone?"

"Oh shut up. I'm technically working. I'm not going to jump him."

"Not now at least."

Yaku couldn't even deny that part.

Lev made his way towards them, and sat next to Yaku. His thigh rubbed against Morisuke's, and the smaller boy noticed this, overwhelmed for a moment but not pulling away. Kuroo smirked at him. "Don't you have stuff to do? Photography and stuff?"

Lev shrugged, "I like leaving Sunday if I can, so I can buy stuff, go see events and things. I figured you might be stressed," his eyes hovered over Kuroo, "But I guess you're alright."

"Well you can stay anyway," Yaku said quickly.

"The more the merrier."

It was while Lev and Kuroo had started a discussion about how necessary and important it was to collect plushies of their favourite Pokémon, that Yaku zoned out entirely. He didn't know anything about Pokémon, except for what Kenma had muttered to him while in the midst of a game. And he didn't care. But Lev was smiling and his teeth were so good and his face was beaming and he was so attractive. His eyes were green and Yaku didn't think he'd met anyone with green eyes before. Not without coloured contacts, anyway. His skin was so clear and pale and his hair was soft and light and Yaku wanted to touch it.

He'd had boyfriends before. Morisuke was bad with boyfriends. He wasn't good with relationships. He wanted to make them work, but it took so much time. But maybe he wanted something to work with Lev. He'd known him for a couple of days. Hardly anything. He wasn't even sure if it was just a sexual attraction. He didn't even _care_ if it was just sexual. He wanted Lev.

Kuroo muttered something about Kenma texting for food, and he disappeared. Yaku got a text back from him a few moments after he left.

_Kuroo: COuld you LOOK anymore thirsty Yakkun omgggg try and keep it in ur pants until after ur show U look nice dont wanna get sex disheveled now._

_Yaku: Dishevelled has two Ls you fucking moron._

Yaku sighed, pocketing his phone. Rehearsal ended, and Lev insisted on taking Yaku out during the busy convention before the show to get food. Yaku always got nervous before shows, but for some reason Lev was the perfect distraction for him. God, Morisuke didn't know what he was doing.

They ended up staying close to the performance space, hanging out and talking. Akaashi had gone to help Bokuto pack up before going to get ready. And suddenly Yaku was starting to feel nervous. His hands started shaking, and he tried to even his breathing. Lev watched him intently. They'd found a quiet spot, away from the main hustle and bustle. "Hey, hey," Lev said quietly, when he saw Yaku start shaking. "Are you nervous about the show?"

"Yeah, yeah, it's okay, don't worry, I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" he crawled closer, and Yaku breathed in, smelling him. God this was difficult. He remembered what Kuroo said, and he knew he was right but...this was hard. Yaku was supposed to say something back, he knew that. But his way with words seemed to have gone with the wind.

He had rules for the couples. Being the only person in the group without a long term partner. No sex at conventions. No PDA. And Yaku now hated himself for making those rules, because he wanted to break them.

Lev seemed to be picking up on the fact that Yaku had forgotten the concept of speech entirely, and yet he wasn't backing away. Morisuke's mind was back to last night as they stood together, nearly kissing. Lev transferred his weight onto both of his hands, leaning closer. Yaku's chest was rising and falling.

This was a photographer who Yaku had known for _forty eight hours_ and here he was, about to open himself up to him.

Fuck it.

Yaku brought his hands up, grabbing the sides of Lev's face,  pulling him closer. His lips were soft, and Yaku's hands gripped feebly at his hair. Lev sighed, moving his hands up the wall, leaning closer. They moved together, getting closer. They broke for air, and then Yaku was holding Lev around his neck and he wasn't going to let go. Lev grabbed his waist with one hand, and Yaku leaned closer. He wanted to touch him. More. He wanted _more_.

And then he remembered he couldn't look sex dishevelled ( _or_ disheveled)  before a show.

He pulled back, and Lev grumbled, pressing wet kisses to his cheeks, jaw and neck. "Ah, Lev," Morisuke gasped, running his hand through his hair again. "You have to get off,"

Lev sighed again, breathing heavy on his neck. "We can do this later."

He looked up, hopeful, "I'm gunna hold you to that," he whispered, standing up. Yaku stood up beside him, nearly chest to chest (if he wasn't so damn _tall_ ). "How much time is there until the show?"

"About half an hour," Lev said, checking his watch. Yaku sighed, giving in.

"We have time."

He smirked, his strong hands going to Yaku's waist, pulling him closer.

 

He hoped he didn't look too dishevelled by the time the show rolled around. He did ask Akaashi to check him over, and he said he looked fine. His nervousness from earlier was gone, and since making out with Lev, he'd been on a high buzz that he hadn't come down from yet. He hoped he wouldn't. He didn't remember a lot of the show, honestly. A lot of it was probably him staring intently through a crack in the curtains, muttering to himself. And then he was going on stage and it was bright and everyone was clapping around him and Akaashi was directly behind him, urging him forward, making sure he didn't fall off the stage. He could hear people clapping, and cameras flashing but everything else was a blur.

And for once he couldn't wait for this moment to end because he wanted to see Lev.

He didn't see him immediately after the show. His friends got there first. Bokuto had packed up his table, and was stood there, saying something about how detailed everything looked (he was probably only looking at Akaashi though, and not even the clothing).  Kenma was there as well, which threw Yaku off. He was wearing a poncho and sleeping shorts. He was probably just out of bed. He was blinking sleepily, his skin was pale. It was nice that he showed up - Yaku wasn't expecting him to.

"It was good," he mumbled, pulling the hem of his shorts down.

"Really? You think so?"

 

Yaku had a habit of self depreciating. Other people gave him compliments but - yeah, they had to, didn't they? They were his friends. But Kenma didn't do that. He remembered in high school, when he was rushing to finish a textiles project that he really should have started months ago, and he was practically at the point of tears, and Kenma had come in, looked up once from his PSP and said one sentence.

"That looks like shit."

And since then he'd always respected Kenma's honesty.

So it meant a lot to him that he actually liked it.

 

Kenma nodded, tugging on Kuroo's hand. Kuroo nodded at him, confirming Kenma's opinion.

Then Yaku saw Lev at the back, hanging away, looking down at his phone, trying to seem busy. Kuroo smirked, "Is it your photographer?" he murmured. Yaku sighed,

"I have something to do, Kuroo,"

"You mean someone."

He did. Yaku sighed, "I just need to go. Now."

"Give him a kiss from me, will you?"

Oh they were way past that point. Yaku smiled, already brushing past him. Lev smiled as he approached. "Hi," he said quietly. Morisuke didn't know what to think. They'd been making out a few hours earlier, he had every intention of bedding him within minutes of getting back to the hotel, and here he was...saying hi.

"Hi," Yaku breathed.

"Are we going to get going then?" Lev asked, pocketing his phone. Yaku smirked, grabbing his hand and pulling him.

It was surreal, holding hands together in the lift up to the room, and neither of them could stop smiling. Lev was tall, and it was difficult for Yaku to hold his hand properly, but it was fine. He loved it. The key clicked in the lock, and the two of them stood together, freezing for a moment. And then that moment was over and the two of them were on each other and Yaku never wanted this moment to end.

 

He woke up with someone banging on his door, and Lev was lying next to him. "Am I supposed to be gone now?" he murmured, rubbing his eyes. Yaku leaned up, groaning at the light. He wanted to sleep for longer. He didn't want this. He found clothing, throwing it on, opening the door. And Kuroo was standing there with that ridiculous shit eating grin of his. "Fun night?" he asked.

Yaku resisted the urge to punch him "What do you want?"

"We're packing up soon. Getting on the road." Kuroo looked into the room, eyes fixed on Lev. "Might want to get him out of here soon."

"Thank you for that, but I'm sure you have a Kenma to take care of,"

"I'm just saying, I mean you know what'll happen if Bokuto finds out you-"

"Yes I'm aware, go pack up your rooms, I'll be there in a minute."

He shut the door before Kuroo could argue anymore, slamming his head against the door.

"Um."

"This isn't your fault," Yaku said quickly. Lev swallowed, nodding. "But you probably should get out of here."

"Yeah, I was uh, thinking that."

Yaku turned to face him as the boy sat up in bed, staring at him, his chest heaving. The marks Yaku had made showing up on his pale skin.

Oh fuck it.

Yaku shoved him back down, kissing him again. He wasn't ready to give this up yet.

 

Yaku decided to keep his distance as Lev got dressed. Decided it would be best not to jump him again. "Where do you live?" he asked.

"What?"

"I wanna know if we can meet up again or whether I should give up now."

Lev turned around, staring at him. "I'd be willing to make it work if you were."

 

He lived close. Thank God. Only a forty drive. They exchanged numbers, and Lev got ready to go, and they kissed again, before Yaku watched him leave. He saw Kuroo gesture to his watch. He signalled for Kuroo to fuck off. He stayed silent for most of the ride home.

Him and Lev met up a few weeks later for dinner, and Lev insisted on taking Yaku to his house. And that's when Yaku realised. He took one look at the house - tiny, shoddily made, dirty, and he knew. "Oh god," he said, nose scrunching, "you're a _student_ , aren't you?"

Lev nodded slowly. Yaku pinched the bridge of his nose, "Fuck."

"Is that no good?"

"No, I just- Jesus, your house is shit."

Lev smirked, taking his hand, leading him into the house, taking him up the stairs. "How do you get up these when you're drunk? How do you get _down_ these? How are you not dead?"

"Well funny thing I actually have quite a high alcohol tolerance so I don't really get drunk very much."

"Seriously?"

"I can't get drunk if I go to parties unless I'm drinking every moment because everyone else is a lightweight."

"Why aren't you?"

Lev turned around, quirking an eyebrow. "I'm half Russian. When I visit my cousins they sometimes want to start shots at 11 am."

"Oh. Shit."

"Yeah, but funny story, I actually fell down these stairs completely sober."

"Fuck."

"Yeah, I broke my nose and my arm, but I'm okay now."

 

They were halfway through making out when Yaku pulled away. "I don't think I can do this," he said, running his hands down Lev's bare chest. Lev kissed at Morisuke's neck, hands holding his hips firmly. "Why?"

"Because your house is a fucking mess and I'm like 90% sure the guy across the wall can hear everything."

There was a moment of silence. And then a muffled voice.

"Thank God you said that, I was too awkward to say anything."

Lev sighed, visibly disappointed. "We'll go to my house, next time. I don't live with anyone, we won't be disturbed," Yaku whispered, trying to cheer him up.

 

And of course. Of. Fucking. Course. The day Yaku brings Lev home to spend the night, the night he gets rough and possessive, Oikawa and Akaashi come knocking. "I thought you said no one would interrupt?" Lev asked, startling at the noise. Yaku breathed out lowly, hissing. "Oh this better be fucking worth it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Im in the middle of exams. I just finished 6 this week. Yayyy  
> I hurt my wrist on the first day and it's still sore and keeps cracking (not even clicking, just cracking?) And I had my first essay subject and that was PAINFUL AS HECK.  
> So yeah, I finished this, but I dont think Im going to have free time again to update until like this time in June   
> Rip me

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading, if you wanna say anything, feel free to come talk to me about anything on [My tumbr](http://anri-kun.tumblr.com/) (though preferably about sports anime)  
> I said the updates were going to get slow because I need to revise for my exams in May, but I've actually found that doing revision during the day inspires me to get a lot more writing done in the evening/night??


End file.
